An expert group has determined that immediate action is needed to solve "the human issue at the heart of elderly care."
To solve a projected shortfall of at least 110,000 elderly care workers over the next decade, immediate action is required, including raising wages and conditions and establishing a new dedicated migration route.
The harsh warning is included in a new study to be published on Tuesday by Australia's Committee for Economic Development (Ceda). According to the study, unless the Morrison government acts quickly, Australia's elderly care employment shortfall would grow to more than 400,000 employees by 2050.
According to the study, Australia has failed to prepare for “the human issue at the heart of elderly care” by developing a workforce that is both large enough and well-equipped to satisfy community expectations.
It claims that demand for services has “soared,” whilst supply has remained limited and that “no substantial action has been taken to bring the two into balance.” It claims that low pay, inadequate training, and a lack of professional advancement, “combined with unfavorable public views of the industry,” are limiting the supply of employees.
The study shows that the recent royal commission on elderly care was a crucial turning point. It does, however, state that it will "further contribute to demand with the need for additional care at a better quality."
According to the report, Australia would need at least 17,000 additional direct aged-care employees each year over the next decade "simply to fulfill basic levels of care." To address the workforce issue, the Morrison government will need to pull “all possible levers,” including boosting financing for the industry.
According to the report, the sector will need to provide better wages and working conditions “in line with comparable sectors,” as well as ongoing staff development and investments in technology that reduces the physical burdens on professional caregivers, in order to give them more opportunities for higher-quality “face-to-face care.”
It suggests that unions, large businesses, and the Morrison government “collaborate to raise award pay in the industry — as recommended by the royal commission,” as well as create progression mechanisms.
On the migration front, the report recommends that the government permanently increase the number of hours international students are allowed to work in the aged-care sector, as well as permanently add aged care to the specified work requirements for extending working holiday visas, and allow those working in aged care to stay with one employer for more than six months.
According to the report, the government should also explore creating a new critical skills visa that would allow for the hiring of personal care employees.
In response to the elderly care royal commission's scathing findings, the Morrison government announced a $17.7 billion aged care package in this year's budget. The government accepted most of the commission's reform plan, although it "noted" rather than supported a clear suggestion that low salaries in the industry be raised.
During the coronavirus pandemic, the government was also under intense political pressure to ensure that the elderly care industry – which is financed and controlled by the Commonwealth – was adequately prepared for the public health emergency. During the second wave of the epidemic, more than 600 individuals died in nursing homes.
During question time on Monday, Labor frontbencher Michelle Rowland said that "less than half" of the elderly care staff had been properly vaccinated, and that "aged care institutions throughout Sydney are on lockdown."
Despite being listed in the highest priority phase of the rollout, the government's vaccination of elderly care workers has been beset by delays, breakdowns, and misunderstandings. Morrison said in June that employees will be required to have the first dose by mid-September or risk expulsion from the industry in an effort to improve vaccination rates.
With the mid-September deadline approaching, health minister Greg Hunt told parliament on Monday that 56 percent of the workers had received their first dosage.
However, the prime minister subsequently admitted on Monday that public health directives mandating such vaccines had not yet been issued. “At this time, there are no states or territories that have put in place public health orders mandating that necessity, and that is an issue for them,” the prime minister added.
Morrison said that they are working with providers to promote openness, not just at the state level, but at the facility level, to ensure that residents and their families understand what is happening at those facilities and the levels of vaccination.
